Stoker conveyer



Patented May 31, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE by inesne assignments, to The Standard Stoker Company, Inc., New York, .N. Y., a. corporation of Delaware Application April 10, 1935, Serial No. 15,518

Claims.

This invention relates to conveyers for locomotive stokers or like devices and more particularly appertains to the class of stoker conveyers embodying a plurality of sections successively increasing in fuel carrying capacities toward the delivery end of the conveying system.

In stoking apparatus it is customary to drive the conveyers by reversible mechanism normally driving the conveyers to feed fuel to the furnace but operable to drive them in the opposite direction or in reverse, as commonly referred to in the trade. Operating the conveyers in reverse is necessary at times for numerous reasons but especially to relieve clogs and to remove extraneous or foreign material mixed with the fuel.

When operating the conveyers in reverse, par ticularly conveyers of the class described above, the fuel is carried back into the conduit, tending to pack and jam, and in some instances the congestion of fuel intermediate the ends of the conveying system is sufiicient to stall the stoking apparatus before the conveyers have been operated in reverse to the extent necessary or desired.

One of the objects of this invention is to overcome this condition by the provision of an improved conduit or conveyer system whereby the action of the fuel conveying means when operated in reverse is greatly facilitated and improved.

Another object of the invention consists in the provision of a conveyer system having formed intermediate its ends a fuel storage chamber of a cubical content sufficient to store, upon reversal of the fuel conveying means, all of the fuel in 5 the system forward of the storage chamber or sufficient to store the fuel normally therein.

Still another object is the provision of a new and improved conveyer organization in. a stoker of the water fall type, the improvements residing in the combinations and relations of the parts of the intermediate conveyer section with the end conveyer sections.

More specific objects of the invention reside in combinations and relations of parts of the conveying system as a whole and particularly in the form of the novel intermediate conveyer as hereinafter described and as illustrated on the accompanying drawing, in which,

Fig. l is a longitudinal vertical central section of adjacent portions of a locomotive and tender with the novel stoker conveying apparatus applied thereto and shown in elevation, with some parts broken away;

. Fig. 2 is a plan View of the stoker structure of Fig. l;

Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional View on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 4 is a transverse sectional view on the line 4-4 of Fig. 1.

On the'drawing, the locomotive and tender are represented generally by the letters A and B, respectively, and the coupling member therebetween, permitting articulation when the locomotive and'tender are rounding curves or passing over switches and turntables, is designated by the letter C. The locomotive A comprises a frame 10, a boiler ll provided with a hollow backwall 12 having a firing opening 13, and a firebox M. The tender B includes a frame I5, a fuel bin 16 having a floor I! which is provided. with a' central longitudinally extending opening 18.

Fuel is conveyed from the tender fuel bin to the firebox M by stoker mechanism indicated generally at S. The stoker mechanism S includes the fuel receiving or tender conveyer D mounted on the tender frame 15 beneath the fuel bin I6 to receive fuel through the opening [8, a delivery conveyer E mounted on the locomotive and an intermediate conveyer F.

The delivery conduit E includes an inclined conduit l9 communicating with the firebox 14 through the firing opening l3, and an elevating or fuel delivery conveyer'screw 20 housed within the conduit [9 for delivering fuel to a distributing means 2| which is arranged to spread the fuel to all parts of the firebed. The conduit l9 and its elevating screw 28 are mounted so that their respectiveaxes lie substantially in the vertical medial plane of the locomotive and tender.

The fuel receiving or tender conveyer D includes the trough-like conduit 22 and a conveyer screw 23 mounted therein for advancing fuel therethrough. The trough-like conduit 22 and. the conveyer screw 23 are disposed on the vertical medial plane of the locomotive and tender. The tender conveyer D is also provided with a tubular portion 24 communicating with and extending forwardly from the open forward end of the trough-like conduit 22. A spherical member 25 is formed externally of the tubular portion 24 and at the forward end thereof. It will be observed that the discharge opening 24a of the tubular portion 24 and the rearwardly directed intake opening l9a of the delivery conduit I!) lie in the same horizontal plane.

Fuel passes from the tender conveyer D to the delivery conveyer E through the intermediate conveyer F. The conveyer F is disposed longitudinally in alignment with the conveyers D and E and includes a conduit 26 having integral with or fixed on its forward end a spherical ball member 21 received in a spherical flange 28 formed with the lower end of the inclined conduit I9, which fiange in reality bounds the intake opening l9a. The rearward upper portion of the intermediate conduit 26 is provided with a rearwardly extending and rearwardly opening cylinder 29 slidably fitting over an annular ring member 33 spherically shaped internally to conform to and encompass the spherical member 25 of the tender conveyer D. The connections just described provide for the necessary articulation between the stoker conduit sections when the locomotive and tender are rounding curves or passing over switches and turntables. Mounted within the intermediate conduit 26 is a conveyer screw 3|, the forward end of which is connected to the elevating screw 20 by a universal joint 32 disposed within the confines of the joint connection between the conduits I9 and 26, while the rearward end is offset downwardly in a vertical direction from the forward end of the trough conveyer screw 23. A cover 33 provided at the lower rearward end portion of the intermediate conduit 26 forms a bearing for the extended shaft 33a of the conveyer screw 3|.

The drive means for the conveyer screws of the stoker includes the reversible driving engine 34, a gear train 35 housed within the casing 36 at the rear of the trough 22, and suitable shafting which connects the driving engine 34 with the conveyer screws 23 and 3| for operating the same. The gear train 35 comprises the main gear 31 loosely mounted on the shaft 38 of the conveyer screw 23, a pinion gear 39 which meshes with the main gear 31 and is driven directly by the driving engine 34 through the shaft 40, and a gear 4| meshing with the main gear 31 and having operatively associated therewith a telescopic shaft 42 which is flexibly connected with the shaft 33a of the conveyer screw 3| for operating the same. On one side, the main gear 31 carries clutch teeth 43 which are normally engaged by clutch teeth 44 of the clutch member 45. The clutch member 45 is operatively mounted on the shaft 38 and slidable therealong by the shifting yoke 45 for selectively engaging or disengaging the clutch teeth 43 and 44.

In the normal operation of the device, the clutch member 45 is moved to a position causing the clutch teeth 44 to engage the clutch teeth 43, thereby operatively connecting the main gear 31 to the shaft 38. Operation of the driving engine 34 sets the entire gear train 35 in motion whereby the main gear 31 rotates the conveyer screw 23 and the gear 4| operates the conveyer screw 3| and its connected conveyer screw 20 by means of the driving shaft 42. Fuel drops through the opening l8 into the trough 22 and is urged forwardly by the screw 23 and thence falls downwardly into the intermediate conduit 26. There the fuel is received by the screw 3|, which, together with its universally connected screw 20, conveys and elevates the fuel to the distributing means 2| for delivery to the firebox.

At times extraneous material in the fuel will become lodged between the crusher 41 or the transverse front wall 48 of the trough 22 and the conveyer 23, stalling the driving engine 34. When this happens, the operator reverses the driving engine in any well known manner, causing the conveyer screws 23, 3| and 25 to revolve in a direction to carry the fuel rearward into the conduits. To locate and remove the extraneous material it is necessary to operate the conveyer screws in reverse for a period sufficient to move the fuel at the crusher zone rearwardly into the trough 22 to clear a space large enough for the operator to make an inspection to find and remove the extraneous material.

In order that this reversal of the conveyer screws may take place, until congestion of the fuel itself at the back end of the trough 22 would stall the driving engine 34, it will be seen from Figures 1, 3 and 4 particularly, that the portion of the intermediate conduit 26 above the axis of the conveyer screw 3| constitutes a storage chamber 50 formed by the outwardly flaring side walls 5| diverging toward the rearward end of the conduit 26. These side walls extend upwardly to or above the level of the discharge opening 24 and may be connected if desired by a top wall 52 extending approximately horizontally between the cylinder 29 and the ball member 21.

As shown, the cubical content of the storage chamber 53 is greater than the cubical content of the forward conduit IS. The chamber will therefore receive, upon reversal of the conveyer screws 20 and 3|, all of the fuel in the conduit l9, even assuming the latter to be completely filled with fuel. Thus when the conveyers are operated in reverse the chamber 50 will receive all the fuel moving back from the conduit I9, thereby permitting reversal of all three conveyers without jamming or congestion of fuel in the forward and intermediate conduits indefinitely or until such time as congestion of fuel at the back of the trough 22 would stall the driving motor.

Ordinarily the conduit I9 is not completely filled with fuel. As shown, the conveyer screws 23, 3|, and 20 are of successively increasing capacities and the ratio of the gearing 35 is such as to revolve the conveyers 3| and 23 faster than the conveyer screw 23, from which arrangement and relation of the parts it follows that the conveyers 3| and 23 will not be completely filled. The relative speed of rotation is a controlling fact as well as the relative sizes of the screw, but normally the conveyer screw 3| would be from onehalf to two-thirds full and the conveyer screw 20 would be filled to about its axis or hub portion. It is only necessary then for practical purposes that the cubical content of the storage chamber 50 be sufficient to store the fuel normally in the conduit IS in addition to the fuel normally being conveyed by the conveyer screw 3|.

In the broader aspects of the invention it should be understood that the cubical content of the storage chamber 50 need be only enough to permit reversal of the conveyers 20 and 3| free from jamming or stalling of the driving engine 34.

When at times it is impossible for the operator to remove the extraneous matter lodged in the trough 22, he may, by shifting the clutch 45, disengage the clutch teeth 44 from the clutch teeth 43, thereby disconnecting the shaft 38 and the conveyer screw 23 from its operative relation with the gear train 35. The gear train 35, however, remains in operative relation with the conveyer screws 3| and 20 and fuel may continue to be delivered to the firebox by raising the hinged cover 53 over the small hopper 54 formed in the inclined conduit l9 and manually introducing fuel into the small hopper where the fuel is moved forward to the distributor means by the conveyer screw 20.

The features of construction disclosed and described but not claimed herein are more fully disclosed and described and are being claimed in my co-pending applications for Locomotive stokers, Serial Nos. 634,074 and 733,142, filed September 20, 1932 and June 29, 1934, respectively.

I claim:

1. In a conveying system, in combination, a conveyer comprising rearward, forward and intermediate sections of successively increasing fuel carrying capacities toward the delivery end of the system, the intermediate section including a storage chamber of a cubical content sufiicient to store, upon reversal of the conveyers, all of the fuel normally in said forward section.

2. In a stoker conveyer, in combination, rearward, forward and intermediate conduit sections, the rearward and forward conduit sections being fixed against longitudinal movement with respect to their supporting structure and the intermediate conduit being universally mounted and 1ongitudinally movable with respect to the rearward and forward conduit sections, fuel advancing means in said conduit sections comprising a screw conveyer in each section, and reversible mechanism driving said screw conveyers, said intermediate conduit section including a storage chamber of a cubical content sufficient to store, upon reversal of the screw conveyers, the fuel normally in said forward conduit section.

3. In a stoker conveyer, in combination, separable rearward, forward and intermediate conduit sections, the rearward and forward conduit sections being fixed against longitudinal movement with respect to their supporting structure and the intermediate conduit section being universally connected to said forward conduit section and universally and longitudinally movable with respect to the rearward conduit section, fuel advancing means in said conduit sections com- ,prising a screw conveyer in each conduit section, the screw conveyers in the forward and intermediate conduit sections being universally connected at their adjacent ends and the screw conveyer in said intermediate section at its opposite end being offset from the adjacent end of the screw conveyer in said rearward conduit section, and reversible mechanism driving the intermediate and forward screw conveyers from the rearward end of the intermediate screw conveyer and for driving the rearward screw conveyer from its rearward end, said intermediate conduit section including a storage chamber of a cubical content sufiicient to store, upon reversal of the screw conveyers, the fuel normally in said forward conduit section.

4. In a stoker conveyer, in combination, a rearward conduit section having a forwardly directed discharge opening, a screw conveyer in said conduit, a forward inclined conduit section having a rearwardly directed intake opening disposed in approximately the same horizontal plane as the discharge opening of said rearward conduit section, a screw conveyer in said forward inclined conduit, an intermediate conduit section interposed between said rearward and forward conduit sections at one end communicating in endto-end relation with the intake opening of said forward inclined conduit section and at the opposite end communicating with and offset below the discharge opening of said rearward conduit section, a screw in said intermediate conduit section at its forward end connected to the screw in the forward inclined conduit section and at its rearward end disposed below and being separated from the front end of the screw in the rearward conduit section, and reversible mechanism driving said screw conveyers, said intermediate conduit section including a bottom wall inclined forwardly and upwardly from below the discharge opening of the rearward conduit section to the intake opening of the forward inclined conduit section and side walls extending above said bottom wall to the level of said discharge and intake openings forming therebetween a fuel storage chamber above the intermediate screw conveyer.

5. In a stoker conveyer, in combination, a rearward conduit section having a forwardly directed discharge opening, a screw conveyer in said conduit, a forward inclined conduit section having a rearwardly directed intake opening disposed in approximately the same horizontal plane as the discharge opening of said rearward conduit section, a screw conveyer in said forward inclined conduit, an intermediate conduit section interposed between said rearward and forward conduit sections at one end communicating in endto -end relation with the intake opening of said forward inclined conduit section and at the opposite end communicating with and offset below the discharge opening of said rearward conduit section, a screw in said intermediate conduit section at its forward end connected to the screw in the forward inclined conduit section and at its rearward end disposed below and being separated from the front end of the screw in the rearward conduit section, and reversible mechanism driving said screw conveyers, said intermediate conduit section including a bottom wall inclined forwardly and upwardly from below the discharge opening of the rearward conduit section to the intake opening of the forward inclined conduit section, a top wall positioned approximately horizontally above the level of said discharge opening, and side walls connecting the bottom and top walls forming a fuel storage chamber above the intermediate screw conveyer.

6. In a stoker conveyer, in combination, a rearward conduit section having a forwardly directed discharge opening, a screw conveyer in said conduit, a forward inclined conduit section having a rearwardly directed intake opening disposed in approximately the same horizontal plane as the discharge opening of said rearward conduit section, a screw conveyer in said forward inclined conduit, an intermediate conduit section interposed between said rearward and forward conduit sections at one end communicating in endto-end relation with the intake opening of said forward inclined conduit section and at the op posite end communicating with and offset below the discharge opening of said rearward conduit section, a screw in said intermediate conduit section at its forward end connected to the screw in the forward inclined conduit section and at its rearward end disposed below and being separated from the front end of the screw in the rearward conduit section, and reversible mechanism driving said screw conveyers, said intermediate conduit section including a bottom wall inclined forwardly and upwardly from below the discharge opening of the rearward conduit section to the intake opening of the forward inclined conduit section, a top wall extending longitudinally between the rearward and forward conduit sections above the level of said discharge opening, and side walls connecting the bottom and top walls forming a fuel storage chamber above the intermediate screw conveyer.

'7. In a stoker conveyer, in combination, a rearward conduit section having a forwardly directed discharge opening, a screw conveyer in said conduit, a forward inclined conduit section having a rearwardly directed intake opening disposed in approximately the same horizontal plane as the discharge opening of said rearward conduit section, a screw conveyer in said forward inclined conduit, an intermediate conduit section interposed between said rearward and forward conduit sections at one end communicating in endto-end relation with the intake opening of said forward inclined conduit section and at the opposite end communicating with and offset below the discharge opening of said rearward conduit section, a screw in said intermediate conduit section at its forward end connected to the screw in said forward inclined conduit section and at its rearward end disposed below and being separated from the front end of the screw in the rearward conduit section, and reversible mechanism driving said screw conveyers including a clutch movable to permit operation of the intermediate and forward screw conveyers while the rearward screw conveyer is inoperative, said intermediate conduit section including a bottom wall inclined forwardly and upwardly from below the discharge opening of the rearward conduit section to the intake opening of the forward inclined conduit section and side walls extending above said bottom wall to the level of said discharge and intake openings forming therebetween a fuel storage chamber above the intermediate screw conveyer.

8. In a stoker conveyer, in combination, a rearward conduit section having a forwardly directed discharge opening, a screw conveyer in said conduit, a forward inclined conduit section having a rearwardly directed intake opening disposed in approximately the same horizontal plane as the discharge opening of said rearward conduit section, a screw conveyer in said forward inclined conduit, an intermediate conduit section interposed between said rearward and forward conduit sections at one end communicating in end-toend relation with the intake opening of said forward inclined conduit section and at the opposite end communicating with and offset below the discharge opening of said rearward conduit section, a screw in said intermediate conduit section at its forward end connected to the screw in said forward inclined conduit section and at its rearward end disposed below and being separated from the front end of the screw in the rearward conduit section, and reversible mechanism driving said screw conveyers including a clutch movable to permit operation of the intermediate and forward screw conveyers while the rearward screw conveyer is inoperative, said intermediate conduit section including a bottom wall inclined forwardly and upwardly from below the discharge section and side walls extending above said bottom wall to the level of said discharge and intake openings forming therebetween a fuel storage chamber above the intermediate screw conveyer, and said forward inclined conduit having an opening therein for manual delivery of fuel.

9. In a stoker conveyer, in combination, a rearward conduit section having a forwardly directed discharge opening, a forward conduit section having a rearwardly directed intake opening, an intermediate conduit section interposed between said rearward and forward conduit sections communicating at one end with the discharge end of said rearward conduit and at its opposite end with the intake end of said forward conduit, said intermediate conduit at its rearward end being vertically elongated and having a cross sectional area greater than the cross sectional area of the discharge end of said rearward conduit, a screw conveyer in said forward conduit, a screw conveyer in said rearward conduit, and a screw conveyer in the lower portion of said intermediate conduit providing a storage chamber in said intermediate conduit above the screw conveyer mounted therein, said conveyers having successively increasing fuel carrying capacities toward the delivery end of the system, the discharge end of said rearward conduit opening endwise into the storage chamber of said intermediate conduit.

10. In a stoker conveyer, in combination, a rearward conduit section having a forwardly directed discharge opening, a forward conduit section having a rearwardly directed intake opening,

an intermediate conduit section interposed bee tween said rearward and forward conduit sections communicating at one end with the discharge end of said rearward conduit and at its opposite end with the intake end of said forward conduit, said intermediate conduit at its forward end having a cross sectional area approximately equal to the cross sectional area of the intake end of said forward conduit, said intermediate conduit progressively increasing in cross sectional area from its forward to its rearward end and being vertically elongated at its rearward end and having a cross sectional area greater than the cross sectional area of the discharge end of said WASHINGTON T. CAPPS. 

